OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 2-ranked West Texas A&M softball team saw its 18-game winning streak come to an end at Tom Heath Field in Oklahoma City on Sunday. A four-run fifth inning provided the difference for Oklahoma Christian (15-11, 11-7 LSC) as the Eagles held off a late Lady Buff comeback (22-2, 14-1 LSC) to win the series finale, 7-6.
 
In the top of the first, back-to-back singles with one out from Brittni Rufus and Emilee Boyer set up a walk from Diana Murtha to load the bases. Madison Johnson followed with hard contact, but Oklahoma Christian starter Jill Dickson knocked the ball down before throwing back to the plate for the force, barely beating Rufus. The Eagles escaped the inning a batter later with a pop out to second, holding WT off the board. In the home half of the first, Brooklin Bain started the inning with a home run to left center, giving OC an early lead.
 
Trailing by a run in the second, the Lady Buffs tied the game without the benefit of a hit. A pair of walks with one out got the offense rolling in the inning. Lauren Granger advanced Megan Guericke to third on a fielder's choice where Tatem Pendergraft was forced out at second. Following the play, Kiley Avery and Halie Stoneking came into the game on the bases with Rufus coming to the plate. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Stoneking took off from first, but Avery came into score before a tag was applied to Stoneking.
 
The Eagles regained the lead in the bottom of the third. A pair of singles off Boyer to start the inning forced a call to the bullpen for WT as Heidi Vortherms came into the game. A diving play from Johnson at short saved a run but loaded the bases for OC with no outs. The Lady Buff defense came up big as Guericke backhanded a ball at first and threw home to complete the force play. With one out, the Eagles lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score the runner on third. Vortherms escaped the inning as the junior forced a fly out to left field to end the inning.
 
OC added to its lead in the home half of the fourth to lead by two. After the first two batters of the inning walked, the WT defense erased the lead runner on an attempted sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout from Vortherms in the circle, a two-out chopper snuck through into center field to score the runner from second.
 
Trailing by two in the fifth, the Lady Buffs grabbed their first lead of the game. After a quick out to start the inning, Granger walked but an out followed the base runner. Now with two outs, Boyer and Murtha walked to load the bases for Johnson. The senior shortstop lined a ball right back where it came from, striking Dickson in the circle and rolling to the wall in left center. The deflection cleared the bases for WT, setting up a 4-3 score line. The WT lead didn't last long as a double followed by two walks loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. The Eagles tied the game on bases loaded walk before a bases-clearing triple put OC back in the driver's seat, 7-4.
 
Needing three runs to tie the game, Rufus started the inning with a double into the left-center gap. After Boyer struck out, Murtha doubled, but Rufus couldn't advance past third after the ball hung up with OC defenders closing in to make the catch. A third double in the inning from Johnson brought home Rufus and Murtha, cutting the Eagle lead down to one. Dickson settled in after the runs as the Oklahoma Christian pitcher caught Gabriella Valforte looking before getting Riley Stiner to pop out on three pitches and end the game.
 
WT returns to Schaeffer Park on Tuesday, March 12 for a 3 p.m. first pitch against Eastern New Mexico. The Lady Buffs and Greyhounds return to the field on Wednesday for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.